Heartbreak Warfare
by Emmmmmaniac
Summary: Clarke Griffin is a young college student that is trapped in an abusive relationship. On a whim she flees to the coast in hopes to escape her painful past. When she meets the infuriating, lovable Blake siblings will she get more than she bargained for? Or could this just be the best thing that has ever happened to her? AU Bellarke
1. Chapter 1

_Clarke Griffin is a young college student that is trapped in an abusive relationship. On a whim she flees to the coast in hopes to escape her painful past. When she meets the infuriating, lovable Blake siblings will she get more than she bargained for? Or could this just be the best thing that has ever happened to her? AU Bellarke_

_**Hope you enjoy, warning, the beginning is very intense and has real-life issues and MATURE THEMES but don't worry the only really heavy stuff is at the start!. I encourage criticism for it is what makes me a better writer. P.S there is a reason that I have not named who her boyfriend is, all will be revealed. Please bare through the start, it's important to the story but if you're patient, a certain Rebel King comes into it, along with all your favourite the 100 characters!. **__Modern day AU_

Clarke set her text books down in her small apartment with a dull thump and stretched her back out. It had been a long day and all she wanted to was to curl up in a ball and forget about the world for a minute. It seemed she'd been unable to avoid her Mother, for she'd been giving a guest lecture and of course she'd called on Clarke to help her give a demonstration. If that wasn't bad enough, she missed lunch because her Mother refused to let her leave when the class had finished, trying to convince her to move back home and give up the small amount of independence she had. So to finally relax and sit on her well worn second hand couch was like a blessing. Her phone buzzed but she ignored and kicked her feet up. Blankly she thought that maybe she shower, but there was no part of her that wanted to remove herself from what she'd called her comfort cocoon. Suddenly her door flew open and a named called

"Clarke where are you?!" Clarke was shaking with fear, she recognized that tone loud and clear, she knew what happened when he yelled at her like that. She felt herself being ripped from the couch and to her feet, his grip tight on her arm

"Let go" She whispered "You're hurting me" Only then did it flash threw her mind that she'd made a mistake, she should have just stayed quiet like every other time. He shook her violently moving his grip from her forearm to her shoulders

"I'm hurting you? I'M HURTING YOU?! Goddamnit Clarke I had no idea where you were, all you had to do was reply to my damn text message!" He roared and she stood back from his death grip, the stubborn side of her could no longer remain tame.

"You're my boyfriend NOT my keeper! I was exhausted, if you hadn't noticed I actually GO to school, every single damn day, and I don't get breaks, and if you had the damn decency to consider what I've been through lately you would realize I'm EXHAUSTED!" She yelled back, he took a step toward her and without warning backhanded her, sending her flying across the room, she scrambled toward the phone but he was too quick, flipping her over and punching hard in the face, covering her whimper she turned her gaze to the ground, only to have him pull her hard by her chin, his face only inches from hers

"How dare you talk to me like that! I demand respect!" He spat and she could basically feel his saliva hitting her face, he threw her down roughly

"Respect isn't what you want, you want power and I won't give it to you any more. We're done. Don't you ever come by here ever again!"

"No Clarke, you don't understand, we're done when I say we're done" he was so close that she could now smell the alcohol. He'd been drinking, not a surprise really. Every time they had fought, he was either drunk or had his next drink in his hand. For a moment she thought he might apologise, like he did every other time. Instead she found herself being picked up and thrown across the other side of the room, again. This time she hit the wall, the loud thump echoing through her home. Silence was all she could hear and it wasn't reassuring. She turned her head to see he had a knife in his hand and was storming toward her. Before she could blink he had it held against her neck, the metal pinching against her and threatening to draw blood. In her head she silently said goodbye to all her friends and family, even her mother.

"You back away from her or I'll put a bullet through your head, you got that?" A commanding voice said. He released the knife but replaced it with his hand, lifting her off of the ground by her neck

"I'll be back tomorrow, and you better still be here"

"I said back away jack ass, I've been told I'm trigger happy and you aren't a damn exception" He ran out of the room without a gaze at the strong, powerful woman pointing a gun at him. When the door closed with a final slam Raven made her way over to the broken bundle that was her best friend.

"Clarke" She said softly, not wanting to startle her, Clarke wasn't something that was easily broken, she was strong and independent. But finally she'd been broken and Raven hoped she could return her to the Clarke she knows and loves.

"Clarke" She said once again, gently lifting the girls chin to inspect her injuries, her face was battered and bruised and it looked as if her arms were covered in small bruises, some old and some fresh. Her other injuries would have to wait till later. Clarke sobbed and all Raven could do was hold her tightly wishing the pain away.

Later, when Clarke had finally calmed herself to the point of sitting back down on her couch, Raven handed her a cup of hot chocolate and sat directly in front of her on the wood coffee table that centered her living room.

"Clarke, come with me to Miami, you need to get away from that psycho" Clarke winced at the thought of him. A man she'd once loved would now haunt her nightmares.

"I can't just get up and leave Rae. Can you imagine my mother? And my teachers, and the tenants-" Raven silenced the girl by reaching out and placing her hand on her friend's gently.

"Clarke listen, for once you need to think of yourself. Forget everyone else and please just do what's best for Clarke Griffin. I've known you our whole life Clarke, and I can see you're itching for a new start, well I'm offering you that, oh and a funny, hot-as-hell room mate" She said with a grin and Clarke threw her head back

"But _he'll _be back in the morning" She said softly

"Clarke, my apartments and room-mate are waiting for me, us, up there, I'll help you pack your stuff and we'll be on a plain before he can come back. And if he gets here before we leave, I'll shoot him. That's a promise" Clarke was silently weighing up her options, College was easy, she could transfer. It was everything else that weighed heavily on her mind. Without thinking any more she found herself nodding her head

"Oh thank god because I already transferred you and told the owners of this place that you're moving with me. So pack your stuff Clarke Griffin and strap in for the ride of a lifetime" She said handing her a plane ticket and standing. Clarke shook her head with a small smile, no one could stop Raven Reyes when she had a plan in her head.

And that was how Clarke had found herself in Miami. When Raven unlocked there apartment the first think Clarke noticed was that it was big, with what looked to be at least four rooms and a kitchen separate from the living room, it was much more than she'd had in her old, one bedroom flat. She turned to Raven and raised her eyebrow skeptically, thinking about how the young mechanic could afford such a thing.

"I worked at the mechanics since I was twelve Clarke, believe it or not, the pays pretty decent" Eight years, she'd worked there for eight years whist juggling school and studying to be an astronaut, and of course training to be the best swimmer in the country. That's actually where her and Clarke had met, considering they had lived in the same town there whole life it was odd to think that they'd never crossed paths until they were both fourteen and racing for the town title. Of course it was a dead heat, both girls were far to competitive to let the other win. Since then they'd been inseparable.

"So how much do I owe you?"

"Nothing, not until you have a steady job at least" Without warning Clarke wrapped her arms around her best friend, a gesture that came to the surprise of Raven, she knew Clarke wasn't one for too much physical contact and returned the hug with equal the amount of passion. Suddenly a tall, slim brunette girl walked out of what could only be assumed as the bathroom in a towel

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in, you must be Raven and Clarke, I'm Octavia!" She looked to be the same age as the two girls and wore a massive welcoming grin, not at all phased that she had been caught in a towel by two strangers "It's great to have some people to live with, well people that aren't family of course! I'm nineteen and a lifesaver, no I mean I'm a life guard, they don't like us to use the word lifesaver, thinks it'll makes us pigheaded, oh now I'm babbling. How about you tell me a bit about yourself?" Simultaneously both girls averted their gazes to the floor and cleared their throats "Why are you- oh of course! How about I get changed and then we can all go out for coffee, sound good? Oh and I heard you need a job Clarke, we are always looking for more lifeguards if you're interested" The girl half called having already entered her room

"Well she seems..." Raven started

"Interesting" Clarke finished sending them both into a giggling fit that was only interrupted when Octavia walked out of her room wearing a short blue sun dress with her hair flowing over her right shoulder revealing her almost perfect physique.

"There a small coffee shop I go to all the time called the Ark. It's within walking distance if you're keen?" Octavia asked them, a small smile playing on her lips

"Yeah, lets go" Clarke said, something about this girl made her feel comfortable, like she'd known her her whole life. The coffee shop was small but had a certain charm to it, Everyone seemed relaxed and calm and for a moment Clarke forgot what she'd been through in the last week. She saw Octavia waved to two of the guys sitting in a small booth toward the back shooting them a winning smile

"That's Jasper and Monty, come on, you'll love 'em" Octavia said as she dragged the pair over to the two boys grinning at them.

"Hey I'm Monty" The young Asian boy said stick his hand from them to shake "And this is Jasper" If Clarke were to look at the boys separately she wouldn't have seen any similarities between the two, but seeing them work together as if they were one person made her laugh, the two were clearly the class clowns with the best intentions. Silently she reminded herself that she shouldn't get too connected, being connected to people had never worked for her very well in the past.

"So I'm Jasper but you can call me whatever you want, Jasper, J-dog, genius, boyfriend" Clarke nearly choked on her drink with laughter at how slickly he'd slipped that in there

"Always the Casanova" Octavia said with an easy smile "What do you think Monty? Maybe a five out of ten?"

"Points for trying?" Monty said looking over to Raven for confirmation. Feigning thought she tapped her chin "Well, to some it would be a four, but to others it would be a solid five" Jasper grinned at Raven and leaned toward her

"And to you?"

"To me? Hmm... I think you need to work on your game space cadet" Clarke laughed and everyone turned to her, Clearly her throat she averted her gaze fearing it would give away too much

"Well, it's just, Raven's training to be an astronaut, well actually a zero-g mechanic and here she is calling you a space cadet" They all laughed but were interrupted when a man came and sat with them slinging his arm around Octavia and hugging her, and boy was he all man, Clarke could see the shape of his abs through his T-shirt, it looked as if he'd just run a marathon but that just added to how appealing he was, he wore a lazy grin and had small faded freckles scattered across his face, all of them the dark colour of his hair.

"O, aren't you going to introduce me to your new friends, Jasper, Monty, how are we boys?" The boys murmured the typical 'good' and 'not bad' but Octavia pushed him away

"Eww get off me you stink. Clarke, Raven this is Bellamy my brother" Bellamy shot Raven a grin but his facial expression changed when he looked at Clarke, as if he was giving her a genuine smile. But she wouldn't let that fool her, _guys like Bellamy could not be trusted,_ she told herself as she built her walls higher and higher.

"Hello ladies, it's nice to meet, sorry I'm soaked I just got off duty"

"Off duty doing what?" Clarke asked, but could not help but smile as he once again pulled his sister into a hug

"A lifeguard of course" Just then Octavia perked up and punched her brother in the arm saying

"Oh! Clarke was looking for a job, you think she's the new rookie we're looking for?"

"Well let me see, can you swim?" He asked her, Raven and Clarke shared a knowing look

"State champ three years running" Clarke said smiling at her memories, but Raven cut in

"_Joint_ State champ three years running" Clarke laughed and nodded, waiting for Bellamy to continue his interrogation/ weird job interview

"Okay, do you know first aid?" Clarke scoffed and Raven giggled

"Of course I do, I'm majoring medicine, I kinda need to" Bellamy grinned

"Alright then, one final question... how do you look in a bathing suit?" Clarke blushed as Raven, Octavia, Jasper, Monty and even Bellamy laughed at her expense

"You'll just have to wait and see" Clarke replied causing more laughter to erupt from the booth.

"Alright, when can you start" He asked

"When I've had a decent sleep and a shower" Bellamy looked confused for a moment and Clarke was worried that he could see throw the make up she'd worn to cover her bruises until Raven explained

"We just moved here from upstate, like just as in we just got here today until captain perky over there" She said pointing her thumb toward Octavia "Invited us down here and we met Tweedledum and Tweedledee over here and of course god-like life guard shows up half soaked giving my Clarkey job" Clarke was glad Raven could keep her cool, she was quickly loosing her composure

"Um, Bellamy, I'm actually sporting a cracked rib right now so I won't be able to go in the water if I start soon" Unfortunately Clarke knew she couldn't lie about that injury, she didn't want endanger someone's life just to keep her pride intact. Bellamy inwardly winced at the thought of her having cracked her ribs and bit his tongue so he didn't ask her what happened, of course his sister didn't have the same discretion

"What happened?"

"Uh, skiing accident" Clarke said, lying through her teeth

"Yeah, turns out falling off a ski at high speeds isn't good for one's body" Raven covered, and Clarke breathed a sigh of relief, it looked like she'd fooled them, well nearly all of them.

"Uh, well as nice as it was to meet you all I think I need to go sleep" Clarke said giving them all a polite smile and leaving the booth vaguely hearing Octavia say 'well that was weird'. Clarke walked outside to see the sun almost setting, once upon a time she marvelled in walking at this time of night, the delicate meeting of night and day. A hand touched her shoulder and she jerked away quickly almost screaming for help, but a familiar voice spoke

"Whoa, calm down princess, it's just me" Clarke was about to ask him about the 'princess' comment when he spoke again "I was just wondering why you lied back there, figured you could tell me on the walk home" Clarke screeched to a halt. _Home_, what did he mean '_home_' "What Octavia didn't tell you? Who'd you think that forth bedroom was for?" Clarke silenced herself and tried to calm her breathing, she'd only ever lived with one man, excluding her dad, and he'd ended up breaking her heart. Bellamy cleared his throat

"Uh, so, are you going to tell me why you lied back there, because I don't really appreciate people lying to my sister, I don't think it shows good character especially since we'll be living together"

"One, you have no idea what you're talking about!" She snapped but stopped herself from telling him where to shove "I'm sorry Bellamy, it's just, some truth's are best left untold"

"Ignorance is bliss" He said to her as they climbed the stairs toward their apartment

"Yeah something like that" She said dryly. Again his hand found it's way to her arm and she had flashbacks to when _he_ was grabbing her tightly. Wincing away from his touch, Bellamy became suspicious as to why Clarke was so sensitive

"I'm sorry Clarke, will you show me?" She looked at him hesitantly, her walls slowly cracking "I promise I won't hurt you princess" Slowly she lifted her shirt to reveal the finger marks on her arm. Bellamy gave her a knowing look, one that told her he had experience in this area and that scared her. He was a stranger after all. She pulled down her sleeve and stepped back

"It's nothing, now can you please just... open the door"

"You wish is my command princess" he said with a sly grin opening the door and holding it open for her to enter

"Obviously you haven't picked a room yet but there's one left next to mine which has a connected bathroom and a balcony or... you can have the one next to Octavia's room which is bigger but doesn't have all the added extras

"I think I'll take the added extras before Raven gets back" He pointed to her room and she moved toward it, her suitcase in her hand. She turned back ready to thank him when she'd seen that he'd already stripped off his shirt revealing his washboard abs

"Anyone would think you're staring princess" That shook her back into reality and she turned away

"In your dreams Bellamy" He laughed and replied "Hopefully in yours princess" without a word she walked into her room and shut the door letting out the deep breath she'd been holding in. That wasn't so bad, maybe she could make a home here, forget her past and focus on her future. There was only one face she saw in her dreams that night, it wasn't _his_, but one with a signature smirk and unruly black hair. For the first time in a long time, she had a nightmare free sleep.

_**Okay, so I hope you liked it, If what you're thinking is 'who is he?' Then you'll find out soon and if your follow up question is 'It is Finn?' then the answer is no. **_

_**Takes hours to write, minutes to review! **_

_**Should I continue?! Let me know, I appreciate the feedback so much!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Alright Chapter 2! Sorry it took so long, but I wanted it to be perfect. I promised Ballarke moments and Ballarke moments there will be! Also a little delve into the history of the Blake's! Hope you like it! Please let me know!**_

He was there, hovering over her bed, how had he found her? She hadn't left a trace behind, just as she was about to say something he wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her out of her bed, thrashing her against the solid wall

"You weren't there" He spat at her tightening his hold, Clarke tried to scream, but he was cutting off her circulation and she was dying, quickly.

"Please... please stop" She forced out "I'll... come... home" He threw her to the ground and she felt the oxygen rush back into her, it was an over whelming feeling, being able to breath again, one she wouldn't take advantage of.

"Don't lie to me Clarke" In a flash he was on top of the knife sitting directly on her throat, where it was last time "You'll never lie to me again. I want to watch the light leave your eyes"

"No please, I love you" Clarke whimpered but he only shook his head

"Don't you understand Clarke?! I'm doing this because I love you!" He yelled back. Then she screamed, for the first person she could think of

"Raven! Raven help me! He's gunna kill me" She heard a gunshot and saw him fall to the ground, that's when she started screaming.

Bellamy woke to a woman screaming, at first he'd thought it was Octavia with another one of her nightmares but soon realised that he didn't recognise those screams. He ran out into the lounge room to see Raven crossing the room quickly, as if she'd expected this to happen, he doesn't remember what time they'd gotten home, but he knew it was late. He ran in after her but kept some distance, his phone gripped tightly in his hand ready to call someone for help, but then he saw it. Clarke thrashing around in her sleep calling for Raven, Raven gently woke her up and without thought Clarke flung herself into Raven, holding onto her tightly.

"He was there" He heard Clarke whisper "It was just like before" Bellamy found himself wondering who 'he' was. Looking down he realised his fists had been clenched tightly, the thought of someone hurting Clarke was effecting him, which was crazy, he'd only just met the girl

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, the girls gazes snapped toward him as if they hadn't yet realised he was there, Clarke shook her head but Raven answered

"No, it's alright, I got this one" With one last gaze toward Clarke he left the room, shaking his head at himself, he didn't know Clarke, but the pain was evident on her face.

"Bell, what's going on?" Octavia said, sleep evident on her voice and appearance

"Clarke had a nightmare"

"That's awful" Bellamy acknowledged her words with a nod ans sat himself on the three seater couch

"Yeah, for a minute I thought it was you screaming, I thought maybe your nightmares had come back" Octavia shook her head "No, that man no longer haunts my dreams. I won't let him"

**Flashback**

"Mom, O, I'm home!" Bellamy called, shutting the door to the house he'd grown up in. It had been a long time since he had been home and he was keen spend time with his two favourite people in the world, his mother and sister. He'd longed to spend time with them the moment he'd left for the army and after not seeing them for a year, safe to say he couldn't wait to be relaxed in his home. For a moment he thought maybe they'd gone to bed but that thought was soon put to rest when he heard a scream come from the kitchen, he ran, knowing that scream all to well. When he entered his kitchen he saw it, Octavia crouched in the corner crying, Bellamy's uncle Jarod lying on the ground unmoving and a very familiar figure holding up his mother by her neck. In a flash Bellamy ripped the man from his mother and slammed him to the ground

"Keep your filthy hands off of my mother" He yelled, slamming his fist into the man's face, effectively breaking his nose

"That's no way to talk to your father" The man said with a smirk. Bellamy froze, his father had come and gone throughout his whole life, taking what he wanted from his mother and leaving. Bellamy silently cursed himself for leaving his family unprotected. As if sensing his shock, his father knocked his down with a quick punch to the stomach, followed by a punch to the face. Bellamy could taste blood and hear screams but was focused on the man in front of him. Jumping to his feet Bellamy used his knowledge and training to knock his father to the ground once again, forcing his arms to his sides so he couldn't move

"Shut up" He ground out. Punching his father hard enough to knock him out cold. He crossed the room to check his uncle, shooting his mother a fearful look "Get Octavia out of here Mom, and call the ambulance and the police" His Mom froze for a moment "Now Mom" He said firmly. Everything else came as a blur, Jarod was pronounced dead and his father was sentenced to life in prison for murder. From that day Bellamy swore he would protect his sister and his Mother from danger, so he left the army and moved his family away, still to this day he mourned the loss of his uncle, and knew that if he ever saw his father again, he'd kill him.

**End of Flashback**

"You're a strong woman O, I'm so proud of you"

"I know, well, since we're all awake maybe I'll go down to the coffee shop, see if Lincoln's down there, maybe I can pick up an extra shift" Octavia said walking back into her room, only then did Bellamy look at his watch to see it was six in the morning, nearly time for everyone to get up anyway. Octavia emerged moments later in her bathing suit and red and yellow life guard shirt looking ready for action

"Be careful O, I'll see you later" Octavia rolled her eyes and shot him a small wave as she exited the apartment, poking her head back in to say

"Bye big brother" then slamming the door shut. After waiting for ten minutes he decided he should make some breakfast, anything to stop his mind from going into overdrive.

"Clarke, just breathe, you're okay now, we got you away from him. Try to relax" Raven said and Clarke nodded trying to slow her breathing. _In and out, in and out_. Eventually Raven could feel her breathing relax and her body slumped slightly, just as Raven thought she might be asleep Clarke whispered

"It was so real Rae. I could've sworn he was here" Raven smoothed back her hair

"He wasn't Clarke. I told you that if he ever came near you I'd kill him. Trust me, I'm not going to let anything happen to you at the hands of him or any man okay?" Clarke nodded and distanced herself slightly from Raven. Raven actually took comfort in this because it meant she was getting back to her old self. The strong, independent, stubborn-as-hell Clarke was reappearing and that in turn gave Raven the strength to reassure Clarke, to be there for her and help her move on

"I've got to go to work Clarke, just try to get some more sleep.

Raven exited Clarke's room, her T-shirt soaked with tears that clearly weren't her own. She gave Bellamy a tired, yet determined smile as she walked over to him sitting on the large wooden chairs that lined the marble bench. She took in the room, the joint kitchen and lounge room was anything but small. The large sofa, love seat and recliners a wood colour, contrasting the bright red carpet and the large television sat behind the small coffee table which seemed to complete the room. She watched Bellamy as he moved around the kitchen he seemed so familiar with. Of course she'd noticed he was attractive, well obviously he was down right sexy, no doubt about it, but he'd seen something between him and a certain blonde firecracker that she didn't want to come between. Something that they themselves had yet to discover.

"Smells good" She said, and she wasn't lying the strong aroma of eggs and bacon filled the room making her stomach growl. She quickly waved off the thought, if she stopped to eat breakfast, she'd be late for work.

"Is she okay?" He said not bothering to turn back around, clarifying that she'd been right, there was a spark between them. Whether that spark would ignite was totally out of her hands.

"Look Bellamy, Clarke is much more than she seems, just give her time to trust you and you'll see that" Raven said walking back toward her room "I have to go to work but can you look after her for me?" Bellamy nodded "And Bellamy? Don't make it obvious, she's too stubborn to take anyone else's help" With a small chuckle Bellamy nodded

"You got it Reyes"

Two hours later Clarke had still not exited her room, she knew Bellamy had seen her, but didn't want to seem weak, she knew better than to show weakness to a man. And she wasn't weak, she was strong, she _is_ strong. Walking out of her room into the large lounge-room she looked around, not able to see him, but she could smell the delicious aroma that filled the room. Turning toward the joint kitchen she saw a plate sitting on the bench, filled with eggs and bacon that practically called her name. Startling her slightly Bellamy walked out of his room, once again he lacked a shirt and wore low hanging track suit pants that showed his toned body wasn't just limited to his torso. Clarke turned away, not wanting to be caught staring.

"Do you make a habit of walking around with no shirt Bellamy?" She said, still staring at the untouched plate

"Only when there are pretty ladies around" He said, she scoffed and only then did he notice her staring at the food "It's yours, figured you'd be hungry since you didn't have anything to eat last night" She smiled slightly, he'd noticed, something about him noticing filled her stomach with a warm feeling that she didn't recognize. Before she could thank him, he talked again, grabbing a plate that was almost identical to the one sitting in front of her "I'm going to eat on the balcony, it's an awesome view. Feel free to join me" He said flashing her and award winning smile and leaving the room.

She bit her lip silently debating on whether it was wise to join him or not. Finally she sighed "Come on Clarke, he just wants company for breakfast, he's not asking you to marry him" She said to herself as she picked up her plate and followed where he'd just walked. She walked through his room, taking in how neat and plain it was, only one photo sat on his bedside table, it looked to be of him, Octavia and another woman Clarke didn't recognize, what she did know what that the woman was beautiful, her long dark hair and tanned skin matching that of the siblings in the photo. If Clarke had to guess, it was their Mom. Opening the sliding door that connected his room to the balcony she stepped out and her breath was taken away by the amazing view. It was the sky scrapers that first caught her attention, their size belittling anything and everything around them, then she moved her gaze down to the people walking the streets, since they were only four floors up she could easily identify the personal traits of the people. But what really took her breath away was the view of the beach, the sun having already risen above the horizon glistened on the dark blue water, as the waves entered the shore line and the sand was packed with beach goers keen to explore it's depths. Something about the entirety of it all made her feel safe, home. She quickly pushed that thought out of her head, _don't get attached Clarke_, she told herself, _bad things happen when you get attached _

She silenced the little voice in her head and turned to see Bellamy staring at her, blushing she set down her plate and sat on the comfortable white chair that was identical to the one Bellamy had set himself down on. As soon as the food hit her tongue she moaned, she hadn't tasted food this good in a long time, as soon as she let out the sound she became aware of the fact that she wasn't alone

"Sorry, it's just... uh... compliments to the chef"

After they'd eaten their breakfast in a comfortable silence he spoke up, once again her heart skipped a beat and she internally scolded herself _God Clarke he's not going to attack you, he's just talking_.

"So how are you liking Miami?" He asked her and she let out a small sigh

"It's nice, feeling the sun on my face, I just feel like I haven't breathed air this real in a long time" She said, closing her eyes and taking it all in. Unbeknownst to her Bellamy gulped at the small movement. He'd never seen someone look so appreciative of their environment as he had sitting there with her, in that moment.

"So where did you come from" She froze and he worried that he'd pushed to far, Raven had warned him to give her time. She opened her eyes and looked at him, the deep blue orbs shining into brown ones

"Let's just say it was boring as hell and nothing compared to this place" He let himself be content with the answer, reassuring himself that she'd open up when she was ready, when she trusted him. Part of him was impatient, but that was a small, selfish part that he'd learnt to suppress a long time ago. Before he could respond she continued "So, I noticed the photo in your room, is that your Mom?"

"Were you spying princess?" He said with a smirk, she didn't deny it but the faint blush on her cheek told him otherwise "Yeah it is. She's actually married to the dean of the university, Jaha, we don't see her as much as we used to, but she drops in every now and then to check up on us"

"I wish I was that close with my Mom. She was always so enveloped in her work that she never had time to teach me all the things a Mother should teach a Daughter. It was always my Dad that was there. He taught me how to ride a bike, took me to every single swim meet, introduced me to Raven. All of who I am is thanks to him" She said to him with a smile, Bellamy liked her smile, it lit up her face like a Christmas tree.

"Sounds like a guy I'd like to meet" Quickly the smile left her face and he watched as she mentally built her walls back up again. He cursed himself for causing her to retreat behind them.

"He died in a car accident two years ago" She cleared her throat and stood knowing she'd shared too much of herself with him "Anyway, thanks for breakfast, it was nice" She looked around the balcony again and noticed something, another door a little way up from the one she'd entered in

"Uh, what's that door lead to?" She asked out of curiosity

"Your room, and of course the door on the far end leads to a whole 'nother world entirely" She tipped her head to the side and he smirked "Come on, I'll show you" He said grabbing her hand and pulling her softly toward the mystery room, despite herself she liked the way her hand fit perfectly into his and the warmth that it brought. She told herself she was only feeling these things because it was warm outside but knew it was a weak excuse. But it was enough, for now. He let go of her hand and opened the door walking into the room, Clarke quickly followed and her breath caught. A sanctuary of exotic plants enveloped her, as she walked the pathway into the room, taken by all the colors and shapes and sizes, and when she thought she couldn't be more shocked, she noticed something clinging to Bellamy

"Bellamy is that a?"

"Baby Chimpanzee, his names Kong, ya know, like King Kong" He said looking all to pleased with himself

"King Kong was an ape not a chimp" She said sarcastically, walking close enough to touch the small animal "Why is Kong here?" She asked as she ran her hand over its soft fur, his eyes were what got her, they were so large and open and full of life, so rich with personality.

"I volunteer at the zoo and he was recently orphaned, they needed someone to take him until they could transfer him to a place where he would be put with a suitable mother and I volunteered, it's like what they do with seeing eye dogs before they give them to the people who need them. I'll raise him for six months and usually by then he'll be shipped off to a wildlife preserve where he can live happily" Bellamy set Kong down handing him a banana he seemed to pull out of no where and led Clarke out of the room

"That's incredible Bellamy" She said to him, she'd witnessed so many amazing things today, she felt like she needed to pinch herself and wakeup

"Feel free to go in there any time you like. It's a great get away" She nodded absent-mindedly thinking about how welcome she felt here. It was something she'd convinced herself was an unrealistic luxury but maybe she could be happy. Time would soon tell.

Octavia walked back into the apartment at about noon looking exhausted, she slumped herself on the couch and looked over to Clarke who seemed immersed in her drawing.

"Clarke" Octavia said, causing the girl to jump slightly, she watched patiently as Clarke settled herself and gave Octavia a smile

"Hey Octavia, sorry you scared me" Clarke said, her voice jumpy

"No it's cool, I'm the one who should be sorry, I'm so used to being around Bellamy who's so switched on all the time ya know?" Despite herself Clarke laughed

"I've noticed. How was work?"

"Well, there's always some idiot that has to tempt fate and swim outside the flags and today it just happened to be the biggest man on the planet. So I nearly broke my back trying to haul his ass into shore, then I had to do a quick rescue of a surfer who'd gotten caught between some rocks and busted his leg pretty bad, plus there was a young woman who swam almost four hundred metres from shore, in a shark hotspot. Some people, I tell you what" Octavia said shaking her head slightly

"Sounds like work. Is there a gym around here?" Clarke asked the young girl with a smile

"Yeah, it's on the top floor, every resident has access to it, you'll just need to take your key. I thought you had a bruised rib?" Clarke was quickly beginning to realise that this girl didn't miss a beat, which could be dangerous.

"I just wanted to test out what I could do, see when I could start work again" Octavia smiled widely at her "Hopefully soon!" The girl replied "There's a pool up there too if you wanted to go for a swim, I can't wait to have another girl on team, I've had to deal with being in a male dominated work place for so long-" Clarke had noticed that once Octavia started talking, it was hard to get her to stop, it was something that Clarke liked. She didn't enjoy having to make effort to converse with someone and was an expert listener.

Hours later Clarke found herself on the top level of their apartment building. The gym was nice, and quiet, only a few people were working out, none of them occupied the pool, which immediately caught her attention. It was encased by a glass door, sealing it off from the rest of the gym. Quickly crossing the gym she made her way toward the pool, with her towel slung over her shoulder. Someone bumped into her and she nearly fell to the ground, only to be caught by someone and hoisted to her feet

"Whoa, are you okay?" The man said sweetly. Clarke took him in, his long unruly hair paired with shaded grey eyes and an impressive body, all in all he wasn't bad looking. Only then did she realize he was still holding her close, and she was only in a bikini. Quickly she distanced herself from him. For a moment he had the audacity to look hurt but quickly recovered sending her a woman eating smiling

"What, I don't even get a thank you?"

"For what? Walking into me? Yeah thanks" She replied, sarcasm dripping from her words, what would usually deter most people seemed to interest him

"The names Finn, and yours?" He asked, she scoffed "None of your business. It was nice to meet you Finn but I'm kind of busy"

"The pleasure was all mine 'none of your business', may we meet again" He said shooting her one last smile before exiting the gym. She breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone, she hadn't come up here to meet friends, she'd come to swim, and swim she would. As the cool water encased her she took a moment to take in everything she'd learned today. It didn't take her long to realize her walls were slowing crumbling at the hand of one man, and it was getting harder and harder to build them back up. Before long her mind turned to her swimming, ever stroke feeling natural in following the last, her body moved in a harmonious rhythm. And in the water she felt truly safe, truly home.

_**Soooo, I hope you liked the second chapter, the next chapter will be action packed so please be patient. I didn't want Bellamy and Clarke's relationship to move too fast, because I wanted to be realistic about this. As for Finn Collins and Clarke's nameless ex-boyfriend, we will surely be seeing more of them. **_

_**Review please! I love the feedback, it literally makes my day to know that people are ready my stories and are taking the time to analyse them! So get reviewing! ~ Emma **_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Alright the 100 fans! New chapter is here. This is one is set a couple of weeks after she's arrived, and we get a bit of beach action. Plus maybe, just maybe I'll reveal who crazy ex is? You'll have to read and find out!**_

"Clarke, Clarke!... what are you doing?" Octavia called as Clarke ran as fast as she could into the water. The idiot was going to get herself killed and all Octavia could do was watch.

Without turning to look back Clarke pushed herself into the cold water, swimming deeper and deeper in search of the small boy who's head had disappeared just moments ago. She was a life guard- well a life guard in training- and knew well enough that she and the boy were caught in rip, with massive waves pounding over her she wished for a moment the sea would calm for a moment just so she could find the boy. There was no time for wishful thinking, just action. Her ribs screamed at her to stop and rest but how could she? There was someone's life at risk. She was becoming frantic and in a final attempt to find him dived under the waves.

"Bellamy, Lincoln I've lost sight of her, she must have gone under" Octavia called over the radio to Bellamy who was on the other side of the beach treating a broken leg

"Give her a few moments O, you know how strong a swimmer she is. I'll be there in a minute" To say Bellamy was worried was an understatement, in the two weeks since Clarke and Raven had moved in with him and his sister, Bellamy felt his connection with her growing, and he wouldn't let anything take away the chance to see that grow. He'd never given another woman the chance, because his main priority was Octavia, to protect her, the way his mother wasn't and his father never did. But he was slowly watching Clarke's walls crumble and fall and there was something magical about it, something driving him to be the one she leant on.

"Lincoln, I need you to cover this girl, I'm going after Clarke" Bellamy said to his long time friend. After receiving a nod of approval Bellamy couldn't get to Clarke and the boy fast enough. His feet pounded against the unforgiving sand but he didn't feel the burn. He had a motto in his head

_Get to Clarke_

Clarke gasped, the boy in her arms. He was so young, yet his face held no life and he was cold, oh so cold, that unnatural tint of blue told her she needed to move fast. She choked back a cry by scolded herself

_Get yourself together Griffin, save this little boys life_

Forcing his motionless body onto the board was not a struggle as she paddle out of the rip like she had many times, coming into shore she could see Bellamy racing toward her and Octavia exiting the watch tower with a couple, moving in their direction. Clarke pulled the boy off of the board and ran him onto the sand. There was no time to acknowledge Bellamy or even Lincoln's presence as they came to a halt

"Get the defibrillator ready, he's not breathing" Clarke desperately performed mouth to mouth on the boy, urging him to breath, faintly in the background of all the noise she could hear the desperate cries of a mother. The couple with Octavia must've been the boys Parents.

Octavia watched on in awe as Clarke performed perfect CPR on the child.

"Just have faith in Clarke's ability, she's one of the best of us" Octavia said quietly to the distressed mother and father of the kid. The father simply nodded, focusing his attention on the broken woman in his arms. Octavia closed her eyes for a moment and prayed for the boy to open his eyes, to spit out the water, to breathe goddamnit. Just as Clarke backed away, after the fourth round of CPR she looked at her watch, deflated and ready to call the time of death.

Clarke looked at the ground, unable to face the mother and fathers whose son had just been ripped away from them by the unforgiving seas. Just as she looked toward Octavia, to call the time of death she heard coughing. The little boy was alive. With a quick motion she turned him on his side so he could spit all the sea water out. Clarke gently tapped the boys back and finally willed herself to look at the Mother and Father.

"He's going to be okay" She breathed and repeated "He's going to be okay" Almost as a reassurance to herself that she'd done, she'd saved a life that was on the brink of death. The boy went to sit up but she ushered him gently to the sand

"Hey, it's okay, just lie down, the ambulance will be here and you'll get to ride in their wicket car. There will be lights and everything. Just relax" The boy smiled and looked to his left where his parents were kneeled beside him. Clarke stepped away and let them have their family moment. She felt a hand clasp on her shoulder and turned to see Bellamy, a giant, genuine smile breaking from his lips as he pulled her onto her feet and into a hug. As if forgetting the fact that she didn't like human contact, she settled into the hug, overwhelmed about what she'd just done.

"You did good princess" He whispered to her. Someone cleared their throat

"Sorry to break up the moment guys, but the ambulance are here and they want Clarke to file a report" Octavia said, although she didn't want to interrupt the tender moment between the two this was what had to be done, she could see Clarke continuing to open up to them but the fact of the matter still remained, no one knew anything about her past, where she'd come from. It was something Octavia convinced herself it wasn't any of her business. But how long could she live with someone she didn't even know?

"Yeah, and then I need you to report to the tower and do the same thing, Bellamy can help you. Octavia report to the south side, let the boys know that we have this under control, I'm going to put up the flags, that rip is dangerous. Not to mention those waves" Lincoln said, any one else and Bellamy probably would've told them where to go, but not Lincoln, he knew this beach like the back of his hand

"I'm on it" Octavia said, with a final goodbye to the crew, jumping back in the buggy and manoeuvring around onlookers. Clarke wanted to talk to parents but before she knew what was happening they were hauled into an ambulance and taken away. Leaving Bellamy and Clarke standing on the patch of sand where she'd saved the little boys life. Clarke was exhausted, her mind still whirling with the possibility that boy could have died.

Bellamy watched her closely as she swayed on her feet, her eyelids drooping

"Clarke" He said grabbing her arm. He feet gave way, she must have been beyond exhausted from saving the boy, he scooped her up into his arms reaching for his radio "Clarke, open your eyes, come on" He coaxed, but it was no use, she was out cold.

"Monty, Clarke's passed out, I'm bringing her up now"

Later in the day Clarke sat up in the tower with Monty, Lincoln had decided she'd had enough excitement for one day and her fainting hadn't helped. They decided that she wasn't severely effected, it was just a reaction to all the drama. Clarke was content sitting in silence but it seemed Monty was pretty much itching to ask her something

"Spill it Green" The two, and Jasper of course, had made a habit of calling each other by their last names, as much as she'd convinced herself not to become attached to anyone, the people that had entered her life recently had made it difficult not to. In the few weeks that she'd been there, she'd attended three movie nights with Octavia, all of which were across the hall where Monty and Jasper took residents with Finn. The lifeguarding crew which consisted of Jasper, Monty, Lincoln, Octavia, Bellamy, Clarke, Finn and Raven would catch up at least once a week for dinner. It seemed avoiding these people had become something she didn't want to do, it scared her to become so reliant on them, but what choice did she have? She couldn't go back home.

"Okay well... It's just... Uh... Um... I'd been meaning to ask..."

"Come on, I don't have all day"

"AreyouandBellamydating?" Monty spit out all at once

"Whoa, pause, rewind and play, I think I'm going to have to repeat that scene in slow-mo" Monty seemed to relax with Clarke's banter

"Are you and Bellamy dating?"

"Uh, no why?" Whilst Clarke thought it was utterly ridiculous a thought occurred to her, Bellamy was the one she'd spent most of her time with. Save for when she wasn't studying and reading, but even then he was around. They'd both come up with a plan on how to raise Kong and took turns in wearing a suit that trick Kong into thinking they were chimps. He was training her, they'd both somehow got into an argument on who was fitter and stronger and Octavia had butted, she smiled at how flustered she and Bellamy had gotten O that day.

**Flashback**

"Look, I'm not doubting your ability princess, but girls and not as strong as boys" Clarke scoffed at the idiot sitting across the table

"Maybe back in the dark ages where you would hit the female you wanted to claim as your own over the head and drag her back to your cave. But this is modern times Bellamy, and girls are just as strong, if not stronger than men" Bellamy leaned back in his chair, pondering her words, looking infuriatingly confident

"I guess you'd have to prove that to me princess" He said with a smirk, he loved bating her up, seeing her face go from a calm beige to a light shade of crimson.

"Ever had to go through child birth?" She said leaning forward

"Have you?" He shot back, still leaning back on his chair

"No, but my body is built to withstand that kind of pain, women were made to be stronger than men" Bellamy laughed at her statement but didn't deny it

"Ever been kicked in the balls?"

"Oh great now here comes the old getting-kicked-in-the-balls-hurts-more-than-giving-birth, for goodness sake-"

"Enough!" Octavia shouted "You guys are starting to piss me off and if you hadn't noticed, some of us are trying to play blackjack over here" She said motioning to Raven and Finn. It was clear the rest of the group was enjoying their banter except for the youngest Blake who looked ready to blow her lid "Bell, although you were being a pompous ass, there's only one way this can be fixed. I say you two enter into the iron man comp that/s coming up in two months"

"But they won't even be competing against each other O" Monty pointed out from the kitchen where him, Jasper and Lincoln were preparing dinner.

"Point to you Green, but they can compare their times, whichever one of you completes the course faster, gets the satisfaction of saying you're faster" Octavia said placing her hands on the table, ever the diplomat "But you only get to gloat once, then I better not hear this shit again"

"I'm in" Clarke says. Bellamy shrugs "Me too" Octavia clears her throat and backs away

"Good because you two were really getting on my nerves-" Interrupting Octavia's words was a loud a crash and it took a moment for Clarke to realise Bellamy had fallen back on his chair. Falling on the fall beside him almost instantly, Clarke couldn't contain her laughter and soon enough, everyone was laughing too. What was once a tense a tense situation was derailed by the famous Bellamy Blake.

**End of Flashback**

Clarke smiled to herself, it was one of the many memories she'd made. She was shaken out of her state by Monty clicking in her face

"Earth to Clarke? You do realise that's not a satisfactory answer right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, come on, think about it, you guys spend almost every waking moment together and you didn't see how worried he was about you when you passed, I mean, I've never seen him like that" Clarke cut him off

"So you're saying you weren't worried about me?" She didn't give him time to answer "We do live and work together Green, I spend a lot of time with Octavia too, you going to ask me if I'm dating her?" Clarke asked with an easy smile. Just as Monty was about to voice his reply the devil himself walked into the tower

"Who's dating Octavia?" Clarke laughed and stood from her seat, grabbing her hoodie "Time to go?" She asked him, usually they'd call it a day about this time every night and go feed Kong, it was one of things she looked forward to. Bellamy nodded and smacked Monty on the back

"What's got you looking like that?" Monty smiled and shook his head "Like what Blake?"

"Like you know something I don't know" Bellamy said, eyeing Monty suspiciously

"I'm pretty sure you know it somewhere deep down inside you" Bellamy all but growled at Monty's teasing "I don't have time for your cryptic science crap Monty"

"Too bad I'm a biophysics major then?" Before Bellamy had a chance to hit Monty Clarke nudged him toward the door

"Come on muscles, its time to go, bye Monty"

"Catchya later Clarke" Monty said not bothering to acknowledge the hand gesture she gave to him whilst Bellamy's back was turned.

Almost moments after the duo had left Octavia stomped into the tower, a not-very-happy looking Lincoln on her tail

"Goddamnit Linc I told you I had that one! Why can't you just trust me!" Octavia yelled at him, Monty thought maybe he should make his presence known but decided against it. He'd let the two have it out.

"I do trust you! I was just there!"

"No that's the thing Lincoln! You don't! Stop treating me like a little sister!" It was written all over Octavia's face, the affection she felt for Lincoln, the hurt she felt that he didn't think she was strong enough to conduct herself properly as a lifeguard. But most of all there was strength behind her eyes, a Blake trait that no one dared to mess with. In the heated moment Lincoln leaned over her, his height enough for him to properly look down on her fully

"Believe me Octavia, a little sister is a far cry from what I think of you as" Lincoln, as if regretting his words quickly exited the tower and Octavia finally realised Monty was there and he felt a little guilty

"Sorry, I, uh, didn't want to interrupt" Octavia waved him off as she sat beside him

"Doesn't matter, no biggie. Where's Clarke?" She was desperately trying to change the subject to anything besides her and Lincoln's messed up relationship. He was continuously giving her mixed signals, what was a girl to do? She couldn't wait for him forever.

"She left with your brother" Monty said giving Octavia a knowing look

"Oh. I don't know how they can't see what we all see" Octavia replied shaking her head "The idiots"

"There must be something we can do to nudge them in the right direction"

"I have a plan..." Octavia grinned wickedly at Monty.

The next day Clarke sat in the tower again, this time with Octavia by her side

"So where did you grow up?" Octavia asked, Clarke swallowed and calmed her racing heart, _it's just a question Clarke. Answer it_.

"Uh, I grew up in Illinois, but now that I'm in Miami I'd never go back" Octavia smiled at her

"I've never been out of Miami, it's a great place but the travel bug has got me. I'm saving up, but until I finish my psych course, I'm stuck here" Octavia hadn't had a conversation like this with Clarke, but it was something she enjoyed, obviously she wanted to know more but she didn't want to push Clarke into shutting down again.

"I could stay here for the rest of my life, it's amazing, the scenery, the beach, even the people are pretty alright" A voice inside Clarke told her she shouldn't be revealing so much, that she should hold her cards close to her heart, but despite every effort to keep it from happening Octavia Blake had pushed her way through the shield Clarke had built up.

"Yeah, you got pretty lucky meeting us, we're amazing" Octavia said with such confidence that Clarke couldn't help but agree. "Speaking of us people, you got your eye on one in particular?"

"Hmmm, no not really" Of course Clarke knew where this was going, it seemed Monty and Octavia had been talking, that was never good. Clarke's phone rang and Octavia nearly cursed, it was like Clarke was about to finally admit something.

"Hello" Clarke spoke into the phone, she was unsure of whether or not to answer it, the number was unfamiliar and she'd learned the hard way how easy it was to track someone through their phone.

"Clarke Elizabeth Griffin where the hell are you?!" Clarke cleared her throat and turned to Octavia

"Sorry I have to take this" Clarke said excusing herself from the room and shutting herself in the locker room

"Dammit Clarke, answer me?"

"Mom, I sent you a letter, did you get it?" Clarke could almost here her Mom growl into the phone

"You leave, without a trace, and all I get is damned letter? Do you know how worried I've been?! Not to mention your boyfriend who's been calling me non stop in hopes to find you. Did you even think of the consequences of leaving Clarke? What about being a doctor! Doesn't that mean anything to you?! You worked so hard for this and now you're throwing it away for some crazy fantasy. What has gotten into you Clarke? Where's your sense of responsibility?"

"Stop! Okay just stop! I've had to be responsible for myself ever since you killed Dad. Since I was ten I've been making decisions for myself while you work yourself ragged! You ever think about how that effected me? I worked two jobs from the day I turned thirteen! Have you ever asked me anything in the passed ten years that has something not to do with my education?! NO! I need time. I'll call you when I'm ready, which is not now and I don't know how long it'll be. Just do what you always do, bury yourself in your work, god knows that's what you've done in the past. By the way, he must have neglected to tell you he's my ex" And with she hung up, a single tear running down her face, every part of wanted to break down but this wasn't the time or place, she had to be strong. Taking a deep breath she recollected her thoughts , she couldn't allow herself to think about the her father right now, but it seemed her past was quickly catching up to her.

_Get yourself together Griffin, you're stronger than this_

"Hey princess" Clarke was shocked to find Bellamy sitting in the seat the seat that Octavia was minutes ago

"Hey Bellamy. What's up?" Bellamy shrugged

"Octavia said she wanted time on the sand today so I switched with her"

"Brotherly duties" Clarke said with a fond smile, she envied how protective Bellamy was over Octavia, it was something she'd never gotten the privilege of experiencing what it was like to have a sibling. She could only imagine the fierce love they felt for each other.

"Are you okay?"

"Why do I look bad or something?" She asked trying to change the subject

"No you look beautiful" He muttered to himself. When she didn't reply he wished he could eat his words, but he couldn't take them back now, especially not when he knew he meant them "No but seriously Clarke, you look like you've been crying" Clarke nodded

"I was just on the phone to my Mom" Clarke knew she had to be careful not to reveal to much but somewhere in those deep brown eyes was a soul calling for her to trust him.

"You guys don't have a good relationship?"

"You could say that" Bellamy remained quiet and waited for her to elaborate "When I was ten my father was killed in a car accident, turns out the car that crashed into him was my Mums. After that she just shut down on me and I've pretty much been doing it on my own for a long time. So imagine her surprise when I didn't tell her I moved here, where she couldn't look over my every move" Clarke thought maybe she should stop, that she would scare him off for sure, but he simply nodded

"I don't see my Mother that often, I mean she's around but we haven't really talked for a while. That's why I love being here, the beach, this is my home, and you guys? You're my family. Quite a multicultural, dysfunctional family, but those are usually the best ones" Bellamy replied with a smile, sure his past was a tricky subject but something about how open Clarke was being made him want to be completely honest with her. Clarke hadn't so much as spoken a word about her past to him and he was feeding off the warmth it gave for that she was talking to him about it.

"I never-" Then she saw _him_.

_**Thank you to everyone for all of your support despite the crazy updates and what not. New chapter will be soon hopefully. What drama will unfold with **_**him****_ in Miama? Will Clarke finally tell the others the real reason she fled from her home? And what plan does Octavia have to get Bellamy and Clarke together? _**

_**Anyone else fully digging Murphy's character in this season of the 100. He's killing it. Quickly becoming one of my favs, other than my actually favourites of course. Plus the Bellarke reunion was fab. Anyway enjoy! **_

_**Hours to write, Seconds to Review **_

_**~ Emma **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**So, I am sorry about all the flashbacks, and the whole chapter is not solemn and sad so if you stick around to the end I promise you will love it! There's a little bit of christmassy goodness coming your way! :)**_

"Clarke? Clarke are you okay ?" Clarke could faintly hear Bellamy calling to her and felt him shaking her but none of it registers, instead she sits there, staring at the man she'd ran from, the man she once loved. He looked normal, so normal, like the first time she'd met him. She was so naive, just a young girl of fourteen. Nothing but a stupid teenager. Looking for love, actively seeking it out, like she'd seen in all the movies and of course there he was, the new kid in her algebra class who demanded he sit next to her. It was cliché really, the kid who couldn't do math sitting next to the girl who had the best grades. He charmed her right away. She actually thought he was the one that would fill the hole that was left when her father had died, but boy was she wrong. It started off great, he was exactly the person she thought he could be, kind and kept her distracted from her mess-of-a-life.

**Flashback**

It was Clarke's first date with Dax, he'd taken her to the movies to see some terrible chick flick, as if there weren't enough of those around. Slinging his arm around her she relaxed into his hold

"You know we could just ditch the movie and go hang out at my place" He whispered running his hand up her arm gently

"Uh I don't think so, you're smooth but you aren't that smooth" He chuckled and removed his arm. As soon as the movie finished they walked out of the movie, hand in hand.

"You know gorgeous, I know this cute little diner on the corner of 22nd street, it's got the best pancakes in town" He smiled at her, that charming smile that she thought was the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen

"That sounds great but I have to get home" He tensed at her rejection and clamped down a little harder on her hand "How about next time?" She said hiding her unease, maybe that should've been the first sign of his possessiveness, but Clarke didn't read into it, it was just their first date after all

"I had a really good time tonight Clarke, did I mention you look beautiful?" He said grasping his hand on either side of her arms

"Yeah me too, and thank-you but I better get inside, my Mom's probably waiting for me. I'll talk to you at school about that second date?" She untangled herself from his arms and ran up the stairs to the entry of her house, closing the door without looking back. Clarke tended to do this thing where she ignored the bad and emphasised the good. So when her mother asked her about how the date went she lied through her teeth, well not all of it was lies, she remembered how kind and tender he'd been and soon enough learnt to push all the bad out.

**End of Flashback**

She was so stupid, she didn't know back then that she would be stuck in that relationship for so long, there were so many tell tale signs that he was going to hurt her, physically and emotionally and of course Clarke ignored them, how was she to know what he would do to her life? She couldn't help but think that if he hadn't have entered her life in the first place then she wouldn't have met the amazing people she had. People that she'd opened up to and grown to love, in just under a month. Silently she thanked him for driving her away from that place because if it wasn't for him, she never would've left.

It was as if she could hear his heartbeat and footsteps as he walked across the sand. Her eyes followed him but he stopped to converse with someone. That someone was Octavia. She felt someone push her out of her haze

"Clarke seriously, you're worrying me" Clarke looked down to see the strong features of Bellamy Blake had moved down to kneel in front of her, his hands grasped tightly on her knees trying to pull her out of whatever trance she was in. His bold brown eyes gazed into her searching for something, anything that could clue him in to whatever was going on inside her mind

"I'm fine Bellamy" Bellamy wasn't going to be fooled, she was pale as a ghost, her breathing had shallowed and he hadn't responded to her for at lease fifteen minutes, the woman was having a panic attack

"Clarke, don't bullshit me, I know you better than that" Clarke shook her head lightly

"Don't worry-" As she was about to finish her sentence Clarke's gaze fell back on Dax and Octavia, she could see they were deep in conversation and for a moment she wondered if he was flirting with her, the sick bastard. All of that was wiped from her mind when Octavia motioned to the life guard tower, where Clarke remained hidden from him. Clarke started to panic again gripping Bellamy's shoulder tightly and pushing herself out of her chair. She scrambled into the storeroom and locked it without a word to Bellamy, she wanted to say something to him, but everything in her was screaming for her to run.

Bellamy was concerned, he'd never seen Clarke like this, and it worried him, he was almost sure she was going to lose it before and then she ran, but not from him, from something else. Bellamy turned to see a man walking toward the tower, waving goodbye to his sister. Bellamy shrugged it off, probably someone thanking him for saving them or some crap, he didn't like to get attached, nothing good came of getting attached to someone you were never going to see again. He'd tried to do that with Clarke, keep his distance, but something about the blonde beauty kept him running back. Her very existence drew him to her and that was why he was almost ready to bash the door in to see what was wrong with her

"Clarke? I'm not asking you to come out but can you at least let me in?" Bellamy could hear the lock click and just as quick as the door was open it was shut and locked again. He racked his brain wondering what had startled her when a voice clearly announced itself across the room

"Hey Bellamy right? I'm Dax" Bellamy turned around to see the man that was talking to Octavia was now standing in the doorway of the surveillance room "I'm looking for Clarke Griffin, Octavia told me this is where I should find her?" Just as Bellamy was about to call for Clarke and tell her she had a visitor everything clicked in his mind, the thing that she'd run from, was this guy. He didn't look like an immediate danger it was what was behind his eyes that scared Bellamy the most. The love and affection for Clarke, even when he'd spoken her name was more than it seemed.

"Uh, she's not here actually and I'm quite busy, you know, people to save and what not"

"Oh, well do you know where I could find her, it's important?"

"Can I ask who you are, to her I mean" Bellamy said, as he watched the mans eyes narrow ever so slightly he wished he could take back his question

"I'm her boyfriend, can you just tell her I'm looking for her" Bellamy watched Dax get irritated but didn't back down, they were similar hight and build but Bellamy knew, despite the dangerous look in his eye, he hadn't had the training Bellamy had. No one was going to push him down, and that included Dax.

"Look I think it's time for you to leave" the man huffed slightly inching himself closer to Bellamy

"I don't think you realise who you're dealing with here" It was that moment that Octavia chose to walk in, nearly thrown back by all the testosterone circulating the room

"Uhhh, did I interrupt something?" Octavia said and Bellamy took this as his chance to make Dax leave "No not at all O, Dax was just leaving" Without another word in his direction Dax threw a charming smile and nod Octavia's way and left the building. Octavia placed her hands on her hips and directed a hard stare at Bellamy

"Do tell what that was all about big brother?"

"Octavia, I'll tell you later, right now I need to make sure no one comes in here, can you watch the beach for me?" Octavia huffed and muttered something under her breath about not being his servant but nonetheless set off to do the task he asked her to. Taking a deep breath and recollecting his thoughts Bellamy walked over to the storage closet to find the door open ever so slightly. He gently pushed it open and searched for Clarke. His heart almost broke in his chest when he saw her

"Clarke" he whispered as if not to scare her further, there she sat, in the corner, her head tucked neatly in her knees. Shutting the door behind him he inched closer to her until he was right in front of her. Kneeling down he gently placed his hand on her chin and lifted her head

"Clarke, it's okay, I got rid of him" He softly kissed the tears off of her cheeks and pulled her to him.

For the first time in a long time Clarke let someone help her. She allowed Bellamy to pull her into his arms and hold her. She'd been so scared that Dax was going to hurt her, but more so that he was going to earn the trust of her friends and then creep back into her life. She cried for everything she'd lost, her father, her safety, her dignity. She opened up her heart and let all the hurt out, she hadn't done that for anything since her father. Clarke was almost sure he was going to find her, that Bellamy was going to give her away to him because she hadn't opened up and told him the real reason he moved. It was her own fault really, this was her mess. She should've known Dax would've tracked her call with her Mum. He'd always tracked her calls and followed her to make sure she was where she said she was. It was the detective in him. She was surprised he hadn't come in and flashed his badge at Bellamy. In his arms, she felt safe, like he could take on the world whilst holding her safely behind him. He'd pretty much bulldozed her walls down the moment he didn't ask her to talk about why she'd lost it and locked herself away. He just sat there, holding her, understanding and feeling her pain with her until she fell asleep in his arms.

Bellamy wasn't sure how long it had taken but eventually she fell asleep in his arms. Lifting her carefully he walked out of the storage room to see everyone sitting in the observation room. First Monty stood

"Is Clarke okay?!" He asked frantically, before he could answer Jasper cut him off

"What the hell happened?" Then Lincoln had his two cents

"Did it have something to do with that cop that walked in here?" And of course Octavia had to her piece

"Dax was a cop? What the hell" The only two that hadn't said anything were Raven and Finn

"Dax showed up? That motherfuker. Is he still here? Cus I swear I'll kill him" Raven said, her fists clenched at her sides, Finn placed a comforting hand on her shoulder "it's okay Ray, he's gone" For a moment Bellamy was slightly hurt that Finn knew more than he did but quickly shoved that thought away. This wasn't something he could push. He quickly silenced all the babbling voices

"Look, I'm taking Clarke back to our place, I think we should all meet up there. She's not okay so don't bombard her with all your questions, she'll talk when she's ready"

"It's alright Bellamy, I got this, go" With that dismissive statement Bellamy left them all confused as hell in the tower.

"Can you shed some light on that Raven?" Lincoln asked, but clearly it wasn't a question, he wanted answers. Raven sighed and sat back down placing her head in her hands

"I thought we got away from this mess" She whispered to herself before clearing her throat and sitting back up straight

"What mess Raven?" Lincoln pushed and just as Finn was about to tell him to back off Raven answered

"Back in Illinois Clarke and I lived in apartments that were just across the hall from each other, so we were always going back and forth and basically I could hear most of what went on in there. Even before we lived across the hall from each other I was constantly at her house. We've been best friends since we were like eight. Anyway when we were like fifteen she started dating Dax, at first I didn't have a problem with him, he seemed to treat her good and that's all I wanted. But as they got further into their relationship I started to hear them fighting. Then one day, she came out of her room with a killer bruise on her eye, told me she'd 'fallen' over. The first time it happened was when she was eighteen. Just after she'd moved in across the hall. This happened several times before I made her tell me what had happened. I told her to leave him, but every single time he told her he was sorry and that he loved her. She just kept going back. Then the day we came here, he nearly killed her because she tried to end it for real. That's how she got the bruises all over her body and the cracked rib" Octavia sat down and let out a breath

"Damn. Why didn't she tell us?" Octavia couldn't help but be hurt, she'd thought Clarke was one of her best friends.

"Why do you think O? She was scared. Ever wondered why she never really talked about her past? The night I brought her here wasn't even planned. I convinced her to come with me and I was sure he wouldn't find us. I promised him the next time I saw him I'd put a damn bullet through his head and goddamnit I missed my chance. Believe me, that scum deserves nothing more" She said slamming her fist on the table.

"Look, I think we should all go to your apartment, be there for Clarke, its nearly knock off time anyway" Monty said. They all silently agreed when Octavia protested

"No. I think we should give her and Bell some time. I mean, he's the only one that doesn't know what's going on and I think she should be the one to tell him" Lincoln was a little shocked for a moment that Octavia Blake was the one to suggest the mature option but scolded himself for underestimating her. She was a Blake after all

"Well, I don't know about you all but I'm thinking dinner at the ark is looking pretty good"

About two hours after Bellamy had brought her home Clarke roused. Sitting up to see Bellamy sleeping softly on the ground beside her bed. As if sensing her watching him Bellamy awoke

"Anyone would think you're staring princess" He said just like he'd said to her the night they'd met

"In your dreams Blake" She said softly a tear running down her face. He sat up quickly, his hand at her cheek smoothing away her tears

"Hey, it's going to be okay Clarke"

"I don't understand how he found me, how did he find me Bellamy? I have to leave, I have to run right now" She said gripping his shirt tightly, she meant it to, she wasn't sure if she would survive another encounter with

"No Clarke, stop, just breathe, I don't want you to have another panic attack. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I... I had a panic attack?"

"For a med major you're not very good at this" he said with a quick wink. Clarke took a deep breathe and with one look at his reassuring brown eyes and knew it was time to tell him, to tell him everything. Half an hour later Clarke had explained everything to him and he placed his hands on her cheeks and made her look at him

"Clarke, that was not your not fault. It was that sick bastards fault. You aren't leaving here, I'm going to protect you Clarke... I need you to know that"

"You don't understand Bellamy, he's a psycho"

"Clarke please. No more running. This" He said looking around the room "This is your home. You belong here, with us, with... with me" For some reason, any reason, Clarke believed him, he'd always been straight forward with her right from the day he figured he couldn't win her over with his 'fake' charm

**Flashback**

It was third day Clarke had been at the house and it seemed everyone had forgotten about the whole nightmare fiasco. The day after she'd met Finn and scoped out her future place of work this was also the day after she'd fallen in love with the baby chimp. After swimming for about twenty minutes her ribs were aching so she decided to take the day to sit on the balcony and draw, the landscape seemed like a nice place to start and she immersed herself in it right from when she awoke. It amazed her how she could get lost in a place she had no knowledge of.

Maybe that was what was so appealing about this place, a fresh start, a place where she hadn't memorised the bus times and knew every street name. She felt someone come and sit beside her but didn't acknowledge them, thinking it must've been Raven.

"Wow the princess can draw, who knew?"

"There's a lot you don't know about me Bellamy" She answered without lifting her head, although she could sense him smirking at her

"Well you know princess, if I wanted to know certain things, I have ways of finding out" He said to her, of course he was flirting, he was always flirting, she hadn't missed how he'd gone out the last few nights and always returned at ridiculous hours, not that it effected her, she just assured herself she wasn't going to be stupid enough to fall for his charm. She would try to get to know the real Bellamy. If he was in there somewhere.

"Bellamy I wanna make one thing clear, I am not some stupid bimbo you can throw in the sheets, I'm your room-mate, I appreciate the compliment but your so called charm will not work on me" She stood flashing him a smile and walking back into her room "Goodnight Bellamy Blake" She didn't wait for his reply but she was sure he was grinning to himself.

"Brave princess"

**End of Flashback**

Clarke pulled Bellamy into a desperate kiss, at that moment she was begging him to give her strength, to show her what it was to be loved. For a moment Bellamy lost himself, let himself kiss her back, poring all his emotion into it but pulled back, as much as he wanted to kiss her, and boy did he want to kiss her, he couldn't. Not now, not under these circumstances, he wanted to make sure when they did this, committed to each other, that his 'Dax' guy was out of the picture.

"Clarke" he said softly, grasping her chin "When we do this, there's no going back for me, and I want to make sure you're a hundred percent ready and if that means waiting princess, then I'll gladly wait" She nodded lighting and laid back down on the bed, tugging him down with her

"For now, can you just, hold me?" He enveloped her in his arms, he tried not to notice how perfectly her body fit against his "Of course princess" He replied quietly, and as he held this broken women in his arms, he made it his mission to piece her back together.

Several weeks later they were all gathered in the lounge-room or what they called their 'headquarters' of the apartment. None of them had forgotten about the fiasco but with no sightings of Dax in the past two weeks they let go a little. The expanding pile of presents under the tree was tempting Monty, but mostly he just wanted to know who his secret Santa was, and unwrap his present, now. Eventually after convincing everyone to ditch their very intense game of alcoholic uno, they were all sat on the couches, the elaborately decorated Christmas tree the centre of all the madness.

**Flashback**

Clarke sat in the living room, her sketchbook in her hand, after the incident with Dax she'd taken days to speak to anyone, except Bellamy, but he never expected her to blurt out her feelings or talk about Dax. He just bought her food and movies and sat with her, which seemed completely uncharacteristic to everyone but her. It took her a week to face her friends and much to her delight they didn't act like anything had happened, except Octavia who ran up to her and hugged her, but that was just Octavia for you. So now here she was, sitting in a circle with the girls playing blackjack truth or dare while the guys were in the kitchen cooking and drinking. The way blackjack truth or dare works is the person that gets the lowest score- or busts has to do a truth or dare that is made up by the person who got the closest to 21. **(**_**I think I made this up, if so then feel free to try it out and let me know and if not I never intentionally stole the idea off of anyone. Also alcoholic uno is one of mine too but it's very similar to kings**_**)**

Clarke cringed, of course they'd played several rounds but this was the only she'd actually lost, and she had a feeling Octavia, Raven, Harper, Monroe (Two of the other life guards) and Maya (Jaspers very sweet new girlfriend) were going to take advantage. She looked quickly over to the kitchen to see Bellamy and Miller arguing about something but let it go, only to see the girls looking at her with a wicked gleam in their eyes

"Alright Clarke, truth or dare?" Raven asked in the sweetest voice she could muster

"God damn card games" She muttered under her breath "Dare"

"I, Raven Reyes, dare you, Clarke Griffin, to kiss Bellamy Blake"

"Truth" Clarke quickly changed only to find herself being denied the chance

"Nope. You already chose, now go do what I said" Clarke could've slapped Raven for this, but then realised that Raven knew her best out of anyone, so maybe that was a sign that she had moved on? With a deep breath Clarke sucked it up and stood striding over to Bellamy trying not to become weak at the thought of kissing him again. The last time they kissed it was... amazing, took her breath away thinking about it. Clarke quietly pulled Bellamy away from Miller throwing the latter a dazzling smile. He just shrugged and made his way back into cooking dinner

"What's up princess? You're blushing" Her blush deepened

"So, you may or may not have noticed how the girls are staring at us?" She whispered

"Yeah I did notice that" taking a step closer so he could hear her

"Well, we were playing blackjack truth or dare-" He cut her off with a fake grimace

"Ooh that's a killer" She giggled to herself for a moment before remembering what she was saying

"Yeah, anyway I lost, so they dared me to come over here and kiss you" He lighting put his hands on the side of her face

"Well we better give the girls what they want" and softly touched his lips to her, as quick as it was there, it was gone and she couldn't help the small disappointment that fizzled inside of her. Well, until she heard the girls whooping and cheering, then embarrassment took over and she found herself wondering when were they actually going to kiss again, as if sensing her inner turmoil her touched her arm lightly and whispered "Soon princess"

After the whole kiss fiasco was forgotten Octavia was jumping up and down with excitement until finally Lincoln couldn't take it any more

"What is it O?" He asked slightly impatient, but couldn't keep the act up, she looked to damn happy. It was obvious to Clarke that the two liked each other, she'd even talked to Bellamy about it, even he said he hadn't noticed anything and then went on a ridiculous rant about how she was too young to be doing these things and that she didn't know what love was. He quickly shut up when Clarke reminded him that Octavia was only a year younger then herself. He mumbled something about that being different, but even know watching them communicate it seemed as if Bellamy was finally admitting it to himself. Now it was just up to the two to nudge Octavia and Lincoln in the right direction. Little did she knew that O had the same idea about her and Bellamy, except everyone was in on it

"I think it's tree decorating time" Octavia said and quickly the guys left the room muttering excuses

"Yeah, no I'm out, guys wait up" Raven said following them and Octavia shrugged and looked at the girls in front of her "Alright Clarke, Harper, Maya and Monroe, we are on a mission to make Christmas fantastic, now lets do it" Clarke couldn't bite it back when she stood up and yelled

"Avengers assemble!" Sparking laughter from the group of guys (And Raven) sat at the table and a few of the girls. Octavia just ignored Clarke's outburst and continued handing out jobs for people to do.

"Alright Clarke, I think it's time for you to put the angel on top of the tree" Clarke shrugged and pulled a chair over to the tree, but still she couldn't properly reach the top. Finally she got it on there but lost her footing and fell into a massive pile of tinsel. Everyone laughed but Octavia who'd just gotten back from a bathroom break to see no Clarke

"Where's Clarke?" This made everyone laugh a little harder as they realised Clarke was completely submerged in the tinsel. Octavia jumped as she heard a noise from inside the tinsel

"Fucking tinsel, I mean who needs this much" No one had ever really heard Clarke swear before and it made the situation that much funnier "Is someone going to help me out of here, or what?" Suddenly she felt hands grasp her waist tightly and pull her out, then she was face to face with none other than the infamous Bellamy Blake, it seemed like they'd stood there for hours when someone finally cleared their throat

"Uh, thanks Bellamy" Clarke said clearing her throat, as if unaffected Bellamy lightly pulled a piece of tinsel out of her hair and tucked it behind her ear

"Any time princess"

**End of Flashback**

"Okay so this sparks the annual secret Santa, this is the tenth might I add" Monty said with a smile "But it also important for another reason, this year we have Clarke joining us and of course the lovely Maya. So as executive chief Secret Santa I will begin" Everyone laughed at his little speech and watched him pick up the largest present handing it to Jasper with a pout. Inside the wrapping was a very large box and inside that box? Another box, until he got down to one very average size box and opened to see two passes to the next major league hockey game and grinned with excitement looking around for who his secret Santa might be. His eyes zoned in Octavia and she flashed him a wide smile. Quickly he stood and enveloped her in a big hug

"Thanks O"  
>"Any day Jordan, now is it my turn?" Monty nodded and she took her present eagerly, it was small and inside it was a little box. She opened the box to see a necklace with a small heart pendent in it, it must have had at least one carrot of diamond in it. With a gasp she ran her fingers softly over it and could feel Lincoln shift next to her, it was him, he had gotten her this. She gently sat the box down beside her and turned to him softly touching her lips to her "Thank you" She whispered to him and he gave her a small smile back<p>

"I'm glad you like it" He said stroking her hand softly. The cute moment was interrupted when Clarke jumped out of her seat and starting dancing to the tune of "I knew it, I knew it" And only stopped to look at Bellamy

"I believe you owe me money Blake" everyone looked at them with a weird look on their face as Bellamy handed her a twenty

"Wait you guys knew?" Raven asked them, a wicked smirk on her face, clearly no one else knew

"Well we suspected, Bellamy thought it would take longer than this but not me, I had faith in you two" Octavia smiled at her and noticed her hand was still in Lincoln's but didn't move it, and shook her head at her brother and Clarke, they were completely blind to what they had but they could pick out other couples?

Monty seemed to be getting annoyed at the hold up and handed Lincoln his present. After everyone had opened their presents the last two were Bellamy and Clarke, which was completely coincidental. It turned out Monty had bought for Lincoln, Maya had bought for Monty, Jasper had bought for Maya, Monroe had bought for Miller, Miller had bought for Finn, Finn had bought for Harper, Harper had bought for Raven and Raven had bought for Monroe which just left the two, who had obviously bought presents for each other. Clarke opened hers first to see a beautiful, very expensive looking red sun dress, matched with a pair of gorgeous sandals and if that weren't enough he had a fresh set of pencils and water colour paints for her and a note which she quietly read to herself. It almost brought her to tears and if she hadn't have been in a group full of people, it probably would have. Before she got the chance to thank him Monty shoved the present she had bought him in his hand, and Clarke found herself looking to anywhere but Bellamy. She heard his quick breath intake and looked at him to see him looking at his present with a large smile on his face. It was a very intricate, detail drawing of Bellamy, Octavia and their mother, that was placed in a very classy frame. Underneath that was another drawing, it was of Kong, who they'd gave up back to the zoo a week ago. It was Kong in Bellamy's arms. On top of that she'd put a gift card for $50 for the sports store that Bellamy basically lived in. In a moment he had her in his arms lifting her up and spinning her around

"You are a genius" He said with a wide grin on her face, Octavia butted in

"Yeah you must be if you can make my brother enjoy Christmas" Clarke shrugged and later excused herself to the balcony. She felt someone step out with her and didn't question who it was, she knew.

"Bellamy" He shushed her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, both looking out at the starlit sky "I never go a chance to thank you properly for my present princess" He spun her around softly and touched his lips to hers, she deepened the kiss but broke apart when she heard fireworks. It was a magnificent show, all with Bellamy's arms around her. This was the best Christmas she'd had since she was nine.

Little did she know her paradise was about to come crashing down.

_**Okay so let me know what you think because your opinion is super important to me! OH AND MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE. Hope you have a ho ho hoppin christmas and a killer new year. I know I will! **_

_**And to all those who may not have the best christmas, the fanfic family is honestly one of the most genuine families I've ever been a part of, so lose yourself in a Bellarke tale and remember that things always get better :)! LOVE YOU ALL!**_


End file.
